20 Days and Counting

Twenty days. Nearly three weeks.

Avonte Oquendo, the autistic teen who walked out of his New York school – unhampered – has been missing for twenty days. This young man who functions at about a 7-8 year old level has been alone, cold, hungry, scared, and God only knows what else for twenty days.

Police may start to scale back their search for Avonte. Flyers are starting to come down. His older brother, who has been an integral part of the search, has had to return to his home and job in Florida. And yet, the whereabouts of Avonte are still unknown.

We cannot let this go. We cannot let Avonte go.

Last Tuesday, my son’s teacher emailed me after school. Ted had tried to elope from school, not once, but two times. He was unsuccessful, thank God. But, had we been in a different district or had a different teacher, would this be my son’s fate? The thought has kept me up at night. So much so that we are buying a GPS system to help us keep track of him.

My heart breaks for Avonte’s family. Their anguish, grief, fear… it leaves me cold. I can all too well imagine, yet I know the terror that I feel pales in comparison to theirs.

Attached is a flyer for Avonte. Please save it to your desk top and post on your facebook wall. Share it. Print it out and post if you are in the New York/New Jersey area. Please do not give up on Avonte. He is still out there somewhere. We need to get him home now.

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2 comments on “20 Days and Counting”

I can’t imagine the heartbreak this family is going through and God only knows what Avonte is going through. They say he loved trains so, when I’m in the subway, I look for him. When I’m above ground, I look for him. I’m praying he is found soon.

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